Mick Fealty 
In private conversations I often reference the failure to bring this project to pass (despite offers from the EU to cover most of the cost) as a perfect metaphor for one of the key weaknesses in North South relations: a tragic unwillingness to build. Or within the wider political process that have arisen on foot of the Belfast Agreement: ie, a cataclysmic failure to understand that the core utility of bridges (metaphorical and literal) are the benefits it brings, not the …
Good spake from Newton Emerson which (like Brian Feeney’s piece on Wednesday) highlights another trapdoor in its rejectionist rhetoric around the Protocol… The cynically engineered electoral competition between Sinn Féin and the DUP ratcheted their votes up together, then down together as despairing voters deserted them in the Alliance surge, until the implosion of the DUP over Brexit suddenly left Sinn Féin polling 9 percentage points ahead. This is the “safety margin” for the nationalist electorate – the extent to …
Yesterday I was asked to do a couple of things in the media. One was on Andrew Neil’s new GB News station (which I can’t actually watch live) and the other was for The Irish Times Inside Politics podcast (starts about 33 minutes in): On both occasions I was asked to share my thoughts on the NI Protocol and the challenges facing the DUP leader elect, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson. In preparing for both, a number of thoughts occurred to me …
Say what you like about Brian Feeney, he is at least consistent. Today, he futures on the options for Jeffrey Donaldson for bringing Stormont down (ie, triggering an election by doing exactly what Sinn Féin did and refusing to appoint an FM). He has grounds for speculation largely given to him by the DUP’s own rhetoric (and the odd behaviour of the East and Mid Antrim Council in seeking to open their own negotiations with the Cabinet office over Larne port) …
The more cynical (and there’s been a lot of that even amongst the popcorn munchers here on Slugger) may interpret Poots’ ‘softening’ as some kind of bargaining plea from posterity, butt he’s also putting down a marker for future events. When asked about Edwin’s assertion this morning on GMU that Brandon Lewis had assured him there would be significant changes in the Northern Irish protocol he said he would not disclose the nature of private conversations. In truth, Poots himself …
Well, that escalated quickly [So 2021 will be remembered for the year of three DUP leaders, at least? – Ed). Last night’s The View pretty much devoted itself to the Poots resignation, with some good commentary all round… Since it’s all gone very quiet afterwards (Gareth Gordon reports that DUP folks who have been phoning him for months now suddenly won’t return his calls), time for a few brief thoughts… Poots saw Arlene was in trouble and his opportunity to …
Well, I must admit I read this morning’s announcement that a crisis last night (that nobody seems to have known about) was narrowly averted, with some surprise. Did anyone else know there had been an actual crisis over nominations today? Well, that post midnight meeting with the SoS gave Sinn Fein the perfect opportunity to run to the press and get their story out first. However, some of the early claims of what the SoS said fall very far short …
As Sinn Féin settles in as the largest single party in the Republic, here’s an interesting snippet from the Economist worth sharing on how it also became (by far) the richest… The newest income stream is the most intriguing. Two years ago the party revealed it had received £1.5m from the will of an English recluse, William E Hampton—by far the biggest donation in the history of Ulster politics. Cash from that source has continued to flow to the party, …
What in water did Bloom, waterlover, drawer of water, watercarrier, returning to the range, admire?
James Joyce, Ulysses
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
What’s past is prologue, what to come, in yours and my discharge… -William Shakespeare, The Tempest Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
When against our expectation Ed Poots won the leadership a friend and I asked what it could possibly mean. The best he could come up with was the idea that being of the right, Mr Poots might not fear to go places Mrs Foster had shrunk away from. With this thought in mind what to make of the new leadership team for the DUP? When you split a party down the middle as Poots has there are people who have …
I was on Nolan yesterday to discuss the further developments within the DUP… Two DUP councillors quit party over new leadership. Is this a crisis for Poots in his first days in the job?@SJAMcBride | @mickfealty 🎧 https://t.co/Js3CJ0mSdi pic.twitter.com/Sfu5BtPfpb — Stephen Nolan (@StephenNolan) June 7, 2021 Accusations of bullying is not the most novel aspect of this story, more that dissenters within the DUP (who have almost rivalled the paramilitarists in Sinn Féin for command and control politics) now speak …
One of the most frustrating things about Northern Irish politics is how we often fall into the convenient idea (or cognitive trap) that we are somehow detached from what’s happening in the rest of the world. There’s an interesting piece in the New Statesman which I think raises an important issue for politics everywhere. It focuses on UK Labour’s difficulties in reaching what it perceives to have been it former voters in the so called Red Wall seats. But in …
Well, The View was interesting last night. It turned upon a live outside broadcast from the inauguration of the new DUP, and it did the new DUP leader no favours since it not only documented his win, but his failure to maintain a coalition. One fascinating if minor detail probably illustrates that failure best is from this BBC report on the changeover, when it noted that Arlene Foster: …has already changed her Twitter handle from @DUPLeader to @ArleneFosterUK, taking all …
Interesting news item given the volume of people on the previous thread suggesting the PSNI should be unarmed/cut down… Eleven firearms discovered in Jerretspass have been described as a “significant” cache of weapons by police. The weaponry included hand guns, machine guns, machine pistols and an assault rifle. Officers made the discovery after a search operation in Jerrettspass in County Armagh. The search was part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into organised crime, supported by the PSNI. The …
It’s been a torrid week (and not just for the DUP). The Chief Constable Simon Byrne saw the author of a report in the handling of the Bobby Storey fall apart under relatively gentle questioning from Stephen Nolan during the week. Byrne was left to take most of the flak this week, even though it was revealed that he had sent a letter dated 17 April 2020 to to Health Minister Robin Swann and copied to FM Arlene Foster, DFM Michelle …
So, a few observations on Ed Poots’ first major exposure to the press: The cat and mouse game of picking favourites in the media to interview the DUP leader (designate) appears to be over. This Newsline interview was one of several on RTE and Sky amongst others that the new leader of the DUP. I would also surmise that briefing lines have been opened to journalists who previously had to guess what the party was thinking Poots has always had …
On the face of it the DUP has retreated to ground it held back in the mid 70s before Peter Robinson got a grip. Ed Poots is now leader. Right up to the announcement it’s clear from the few briefings we could to get Jeffrey thought he was in. They’ve stuck with the Free Presbyterian Paisley-ite. Not only does it mark the height of Jeffrey’s career in the party (as his fellow defector from the UUP Arlene Foster), it will …
A friend this morning told me something I’d been thinking for a long time myself. That is that most Northern Irish politicians (and even large players in civil society) are very given to the speaking of gibberish when asked about NI. Thing is, I don’t think they’re alone in that predicament. Politicians everywhere are struggling to keep up with the rapids of social media platforms like Twitter which drive debate at the break neck speed of emotions. And it is …
I’ve not been impressed with the quality of recent southern opinion on Northern Ireland, particularly with regard to Brexit and it’s poor understanding (built on a willingness to believe the worst, and a lack of curiosity over how unionism ticks). But on Tuesday Fintan O’Toole made an important point about what many see as the leading contender in the DUP leadership race: As a religious believer, Edwin Poots is entitled to his own faith. As a prospective first minister of …
